Razor blade package



Dec. 29, 1942. J. M. GINGRAS 2,306,782

RAZOR BL'ADE PACKAGE Filed March 31, l94l v INVENTORLV mqfas PatentedDec. 29, 1942 lEE RAZOR BLADE PACKAGE John M. Gingras, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 31, 1941, Serial No. 386,012

1 Claim.

The purpose of this invention is to facilitate merchandising of razorblades by providing a unique package in which unwrapped blades are heldwith their cutting edges engaging no wrappers, objects or devices.

The invention is a package for holding razor blades in which the bladesare held through the central opening, the notches at the ends, orsuspended from the ends.

In order to improve the quality or characteristics of razor blades ithas been found desirable to prevent any contact whatever of the cuttingedges with any material after the blades are sharpened in manufacturing,and therefore the blades must be packaged without wrappers and with thecutting edges suspended so that they cannot contact or engage the sidesof a box or container. Any method of packaging razor blades wherein thecutting edges engage paper or any object or device has a tendency todull the blade and impair the quality thereof; whereas with the cuttingedges free of all envelopes, wrappers, or sides or surfaces of thepackage they may retain the same degree of sharpness to which they werefinished in manufacturing.

The object of this invention is therefore to provide means for advancingthe merchandising of razor blades by making it possible to offer bladeswith sharper cutting edges than is possible with any method ofmerchandising now in use.

Another object is to provide a method of packaging razor blades withoutcontacting the cutting edges.

Another object is to provide means for holding a plurality of razorblades in a package through the central opening, and for locking eachblade individually automatically.

A further object is to provide a package for holding razor blades withthe sharpened edges free of any contact with any object or material inwhich the blades are visible from the exterior of the package.

And a still further object is to provide a razor blade package in whichthe sharpened edges of blades held therein are suspended in the airwithout contacting any material, in which the package is of a simple andeconomical construction.

With these ends in view the invention embodies a base having upwardlyextending sides with a transparent cover engaging the upper edges of thesides, and means on the base for holding razor blades in spaced relationand with their sharpened edges extending outward and protected fromengagement with any object or device by the sides and cover.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates the package .with razor blades held therein throughthe central openings thereof.

Figure 2 is a cross section through the package shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the package shown in Figure 1 with partbroken away showing the blade holding spring.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the blade holding spring.

Figure 5 shows an alternate design in which projections are provided atthe edges of the blade holding spring.

Figure 6 is another alternate design in which the ends of the bladeholding spring are corrugated.

Figure 7 shows blade holding means of an alternate design in which meansis provided for preventing the blades shaking off of the holding means.

Figure 8 shows a side view of of Figure 7 with the base of in elevation.

Figure 9 shows another alternate design in which notched posts areprovided for holding the blades.

Figure 10 is an end View of one of the posts shown in Figure 9.

Figure 11 shows another alternate design in which four posts may be usedfor gripping the blades in the notches at the corners.

Figure 12 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 11 showingalternate blade holding means.

Figure 13 shows Wires for holding the ends of the blades providinganother alternate holding device.

Figure 14 illustrates another alternate design in which means isprovided for suspending the blades from the ends.

Figure 15 shows a projection on the spring members of the device shownin Figure 14 for extending into the slots of the blades to preventlateral movement thereof.

Figure 16 shows another the ends of the blades.

Figure 17 illustrates another alternate design in which a square packageis used and the blade holding means is stamped from the upper surface ofthe base.

Figure '18 is a cross section through the device the holding means thepackage shown device for holding shown in Figure 1'? with part of thebase broken away.

Figure 19 shows another alternate arrangement in which the cover isprovided in a continuous transparent strip.

Figure 20 is a section through one side of the device shown in Figure19.

Figure 21 shows a blank from which the base of the package may beformed.

In the drawing the package is shown as it may be made wherein numeral lindicates the base of the package, numeral 2, the transparent cover, andnumeral 3, the blade holding spring.

The base, and even the entire package, may be of any shape or design,and although it is preferred to form the package from the blank shown inFigure 21, it will be understood that it may be formed in any manner,and instead of being made of paper, or cardboard, as illustrated, it maybe made of metal, or a plastic, or any suitable material.

In the design shown the base comprises a section 4 having wings 5 andEat the sides, a tab 1 at one end, and a connecting section 8 at theother which connects the lower section of the base to the upper section9. The section 9 is provided with flaps Hi and H which extend downwardinside of the wings 5 and 6 as shown in Figure 2, and at the end of thesection 9is a tab I2 which extends under the tab 1 and is gummedthereto. The section 8 is provided with an opening I3 in which one endof the cover is hinged, and the tab 12 is provided with an opening I4through which used blades may be inserted so that they may be IS in thebase.

The blades are mounted by any suitable means upon the upper base section9, and in the design shown in Figures 1 to 4 the blades are held onspring members it and I! extending upward from a base 18 and the base isheld to the section 9 by prongs stamped from the base 18 which areinserted through the part 9 and clinched on the under side as shown inFigure 3 in which the prongs are indicated by the numeral IS. The

members it and I1 are provided with projections 20 upon which the bladesmay rest, or these may have projections 2| for each blade as shown inFigure 5, or they may be corrugated as shown at 22 in Figure 6, or anymeans may be for holding the blades.

In Figures 7 and 8 the blades may be held on corrugated spring members23 and 24 at the ends of a base 25 and in the central part of the baseis a web 25 with a central section 21 therein, and

with the web 26 extending through central slots in the blades thesection 21 may be bent as shown in dotted lines in Figure '7 to hold theblades and prevent them dropping off of the spring members should thedevice be inverted. It will be understood, however, that any other meansmay be provided for holding the blades on the spring members. The springmembers may also be made in any other form and in Figures 9 and 10 posts28 and 29 are mounted on a base 30 and these are split and provided withnotches 3| to facilitate holding and removing blades therefrom, and inFigures 11, 12, and 13, corner posts are provided for engaging thenotches at the corners of the blades. These posts may be formed withcorrugations 32 as shown in Figure 11 in which the corrugations aregraduated with the deeper ones at the lower end to facilitate removingthe blades,

placed in a compartment provided or the posts 33 may have notches 34 asshown in 75 Figure 12, or they may be formed of wires 35 and 36 as shownin Figure 13.

Figures 14, 15, and 16, show devices that may be placed at one end ofthe package and the numeral 31 indicates spring sections into which theends of blades may be inserted and each section may have a projection 38that snaps into the central opening of the blade to hold the bladeagainst lateral movement. The member 39 shown in Figure 16 is formedwith blade slots 40 and these may have openings 4| at their inner endsto provide resiliency.

In Figures 17 and 18, flaps 42 and 43 are stamped from the uppersurfaceM of the base and with these bent upward and held together theblades may be placed thereon and then when they are released the upperends will spring outward as shown in Figure 18 so that the blades willbe held and prevented from falling off should the device be inverted. Inthis design the base is shown as being square, and this may be providedwith a square or rectangular shaped cover 45 which may be transparent orof any material. In this design the blades are illustrated as beingseparated by spacers 46 and it will be understood that these or spacersof any type may be used in any of the other designs.

In Figure 19 an endless cover 41 is provided and this is slidablebetween the sides 48 and the edges are mounted on the edges of flatmembers 49 gummed to the inner surfaces of the sides 48, as shown inFigure 20, and with an opening 50 in the cover 41, the cover may be slidaround until the opening is at the top and the blades may be removed,Whereas when the device is not in use the cover may be turned until theopening is at the bottom, thereby providing means for sealing thedevice. In this design the blades may be held on notched members 5| and52 stamped from the upper surface of the base, and the base may beprovided with openings 53 and 54 through which the cover may pass.

The notches on these members and also the spring members shown inFigures 1 and 8, and particularly any spring member with notches orcorrugations provide means for automatically locking each bladeindividually, and with the notches or corrugations the spacing membersmay be omitted between the blades, however it is preferred to use thespacing members because the blades may jar loose and contact each otherin handling and shipping.

In merchandising safety razor blades in this manner it is desirable touse blades of stainless steel, however, it will be understood thatblades of any material may be used.

It will be noted that this method of packaging facilitates merchandisingmaterially because the blade is open for inspection and any purchasercan readily see that the cutting edge of any blade has not been impairedby the edge engaging any object or device even though the package mayhave been dropped or shaken.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the constructionwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. One of which changesmay be in the use of any of the holding devices illustrated herein in apackage, box, or container of any other type or design, another may bein the use of an opaque instead of a transparent cover, and stillanother may be in the use of blade holding means of any other type ordesign.

The construction will be readily understood from the foregoingdescription. In use the package may be provided as shown and describedand with blades placed on the holding devices on the base as shown anddescribed the cover may be closed and the blades are substantiallysealed and protected from dust and the like, and at the same time theblades may readily be observed. With the blades held in this manner theedges are free and extend outward into space, and do not engage orcontact any surface, object or device, so that with the blades sharpenedwhen manufactured the same sharpness may be assured and this feature mayalso be observed through the transparent cover.

The cover may also be of any material and in order to facilitate openingthe cover a sufficient amount to remove blades freely one end of thecover is inserted through the opening l3 and with ears on the endthereof as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, it will be permanentlyheld and when closed the opposite end may be inserted under the flap 1as shown. Means may also be provided for supporting the cover at thecenter or any point or points, and in Figure 8 it will be noted that thepart 21 of the web 26 engages the under surface of the cover, providingsupporting means therefor.

Having thus fully described the invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is: V

A display package having a base, a horizontal surface spaced from thebase, the length of which being less than that of the base, opposedinwardly sloping end walls connecting with the ends of the base and endsof the horizontal surface, side walls also connected with the base andhorizontal surface and having arch-shaped porremovably held in the slotsof the sloping end members and curved to correspond with and engage theupper edges of the arch-shaped portions of the said side walls, one ofthe said slots being of sufficient width to receive used razor,

blades providing means for inserting said used blades therethrough andinto the space between the horizontal surface and base.

JOHN M. GINGRAS.

